Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have demonstrated that therapeutically restoring ‘youthful’ levels of a specific subunit of the telomerase enzyme can significantly reduce the signs and symptoms of aging in preclinical models. If these findings are confirmed in clinical studies, there may be therapeutic implications for age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, heart disease and cancer.
Tag: Telomeres
20-Year Study May Upend Long-Held Theory About Chromosomes and Cancer
Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say their 20-year study of more than 200 people with premature aging syndromes caused by abnormally short telomeres, or shortened repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, may upend long-held scientific dogma and settle conflicting studies about how and whether short telomeres contribute to cancer risk.
Scientists Discover New Protein Activity in Telomeres
Reporting in the PNAS, UNC School of Medicine researchers made the stunning discovery that telomeres contain genetic information to produce two small proteins, one of which they found is elevated in some human cancer cells, as well as cells from patients suffering from telomere-related defects.
Enzyme, proteins work together to tidy up tail ends of DNA in dividing cells
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have described the way an enzyme and proteins interact to maintain the protective caps, called telomeres, at the end of chromosomes, a new insight into how a human cell preserves the integrity of its DNA through repeated cell division. DNA replication is essential for perpetuating life as we know it, but many of the complexities of the process — how myriad biomolecules get where they need to go and interact over a series of intricately orchestrated steps — remain mysterious.
Stress during Pregnancy May Lead to Heart Disease, Accelerated Aging in Next Generation
Prenatal stress can cause damage in the aorta in offspring, which may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and accelerate aging, according to a new study in mice. The article is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.